Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-12-22
TED'S CHRISTMAS.
A Good Story For Some Parents to
Read.

1ks SSNc ~ N'''> -
&tree, an nuts am candy, and ice cream!
~.Sand little Mans eyes stuck out with
the delights of imagination.
"My Won't that be jolly ?" Ted was
the next speaker, and in the excitement OF
the moment he forgot himself so far rs to
emit a small, faint whistle.
''Stop that noise over there" said stern
voice, the owner of which looked out from
behind the folds of the evening paper with
a frown. Joseph Rexford was homely E.
nough, taken at his best, but with an ugly
frown added, he was terrific, though prob
ably not aware of it, for people seldom get
before glass to make up ugly faces.
''They were only talking n little about
the wives of such men are invariably timid,
or else, in very bravado of despair, intoler-
able scolds, and Mrs. Rexford could never
be that
She would have been the sunniest and
sweetest of little women, had she not been
clapped under bushel by Joseph Rexforo
at a very early stage in their married life,
and, as might be supposed she was pretty
nearly extinguished by this time.
christmas % he growled contemptuous-
". "All nonsense and folly, they'd better
be tendin' to their rethmetic or shellin'
them seeds. had TO work evenin's when
/ was their age, an hadn't no time to be
hatchin' up foolery."
"All work and no play makes Jack dull
boy,"gently demonstrated the wife. They re
not too old to enjoy little recreation, Joseph,
and L wish we could give them a little
Christmas treat" She wondered at her
own boldness, for she did not often venture
within reach cf the lions claws, or, in 9TH
er words, her husba nd's displeasure.
HelJoked at her in astonishment he sup
posed he had her subdued, and the idea
that she would propose anything that he
had just put his foot on as ''foolery, shocked
him.
t'Mrs. Rexford," and his voice was bit
of condensed harshness, Il thought you
knew my mind on sech trifiin' years ago,
and want you to understand once and for
all, won't have it, and the big foot came
down on the uncarpeted floor with snap.
"And you young ones, stop your snivelin'
over there. or I'll give you something to
snivel about" and the mighty potentate
glared over in the corner where little Nan
was struggling with a sob of mingled terror
and disappointment, for at her mothers
kind words it seemed so easy to have just a
little bit of Christmas, at least.
"Darn him" whispered Ted, clinching his
fists, and shaking them at the household
monarch, who had again wrapped himself
in his newspaper "I'll run away, see If /
don't, an I'll have Christmas tree every
day when 1 get big
His jacket would have needed no further
dusting for months to come, If the parent
could have seen the belligerent action, but,
fortunately, the paper was not transparent,
and Mr.. Rexford was deep in an article on
the Irish question.
He looked up presently ; he had the COM
placent feelings of the bulldog, who comes
up uppermost in the fight, and could look
upon his vanquished subjects with amiable
condescension. 81 guess those Britishers
I'll find they can't always, abuse them poor
Irishers," {" he said. 'They'll find ont sooner
or later, that it don't pay to aller play tn"
tyrant."
Mrs. Rexford received the information
with a proper degree of humility, and only
a subdued "hm-m-m," escaped her lips,
but she thought to herself that it would not
be necessary to cross the ocean to find a
tyrant, if one were urgently needed and
wondered rebelliously if it was always 60
ing to pay him to assume the character he
SO deprecated to his British neighbors.
Bedtime came, and Ted and Nan, with
little Jane, crept off toward their beds. No
cheerful, goodnight papa" with the kiss
which sweetens slumber, and ushers the
children into happy dreamland. Mr.
Rexford's soul would have recoiled at such
sentimental doings, children being in his
eyes necessary evils, from which to extract
the greatest amount of work with the least
amount of love and money.
The mother rose, lamp in hand, and fol-
lowed them softly she helped them un
dress with soft, gentle touches, and then
drew them to her side for their evening
prayer. Little Nan, ten years of age, was
just at the point of tears, and when she
came to the phrase in her simple prayer
"God bless papa and mama," her voice
broke into muffied sob. 1t was so hard to
pray for the father, who apparently loved
them So little.